Fancy Twist sword
Echinodorus 'Fancy Twist'
Also known as Echinodorus Fancy Twist, Fancy Twist
Care at a glance
- Light
- Medium light
- CO2
- CO₂ beneficial
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Placement
- Midground
- Type
- Rosette
- Temperature
- 72–82°F (22–28°C)
- pH
- 6.0–7.5
- Hardness
- 2–15 dGH
- Max height
- 15.7 in (40 cm)
- Spread
- 11.8 in (30 cm)
- Nutrient uptake
- Root + water column
- Growth region
- Submersed or emersed
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Origin
- Cultivated hybrid (nursery-bred, not a wild species); parent stock from tropical South America
- Family
- Alismataceae
Overview
A twisted-leaf oddball sword that works best as a midground specimen where its curling foliage stands out. It is a heavy root feeder, so a nutrient-rich substrate with root tabs and iron keeps the leaves from yellowing and brings out red tones. It tolerates low-tech tanks with slower, greener growth, but medium to high light plus CO2 gives faster growth and stronger color; trim tired outer leaves to keep the rosette tidy.
In the wild
Fancy Twist is a hybrid cultivar with no wild population; it does not occur in nature. Its Echinodorus ancestry comes from the marshes and slow, seasonally flooded waters of tropical South America, where swords grow rooted in rich mud and often emerge above the surface.
Good to know
A named cultivar in the family Alismataceae, sold under a quoted name because it has no botanical binomial. It is prized for a novelty trait: broad lanceolate leaves that spiral and twist as they grow, a mutation similar to the well-known 'Vesuvius' sword. Color ranges through light green, bronze, and deep blood-red depending on light and feeding.
Did you know
Did you know the corkscrew leaves are the whole point? Fancy Twist carries the same spiral-growth mutation that makes 'Vesuvius' famous, so each leaf coils like a ribbon instead of lying flat.
Where to buy
Some links may not be the exact species or variety.
- Glass Aqua Aquascaping plants and planted tank supplies
- Buce Plant Aquatic plants and aquascaping supplies
- Aquarium Plants Factory Aquatic plants shipped from a California greenhouse
…or ask your local fish store.
Appears in
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